West Springfield Fire Department first responders receive training on how to use Narcan, a drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, at fire headquarters on Thursday. Firefighter/paramedic Jeffery Joseph, right, administers the nasal spray form of the drug to a dummy, as firefighter Christopher Battista, left, and Lt. Christopher Bartone, center, look on.
(MARK MURRAY / THE REPUBLICAN)

This an absolute statewide epidemic.- West Springfield firefighter Art Williamson

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Narcan, a controversial drug used to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose, is now being used by the West Springfield Fire Department, the first area department to equip fire engines with the potentially life-saving nasal spray.

A blast of the drug into a victim's nose can begin counteracting the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes, according to officials, who demonstrated how the drug is administered at fire headquarters on Thursday.

With heroin and opioid overdoses on the rise, some fire departments now include Narcan in their BLS, or "basic life support," services. But most Massachusetts police and fire departments still don't use the drug, which is widely used by EMTs and paramedics.

Heroin overdoses are "an absolute statewide epidemic," said West Springfield firefighter Art Williamson, president of Local 2212 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Williamson said union members and Chief William Flaherty support using the drug, which is not without its critics. Although safe and effective when administered correctly, naysayers generally believe that making Narcan more widely accessible might encourage opioid abuse.

In West Springfield, the situation is grave enough that fire officials felt the positives far outweigh any negatives. Heroin used to be viewed as a "street problem," but now it impacts even "the nicest neighborhoods in West Springfield," Williamson said.

It's the job of firefighters to save lives, not "to judge the morality of the issue," he said.

For Flaherty, it's about arming firefighters with the necessary tools to combat drug overdoses. "We wanted to have the best service for our community," the chief said.

Administering Narcan in the field should never be used in lieu of transporting a patient to the hospital for treatment, but rather as an initial step toward saving the life of someone in the throes of a heroin overdose, according to officials.

"By the time we get them in the emergency department it's often too late," said Dr. John P. Santoro, EMS medical director for the West Springfield Fire Department and an ER doctor at Baystate Medical Center.

"The Narcan will wear off, (and) the narcotic will kick in again," said Santoro, emphasizing the importance of getting opioid overdose victims to the hospital as quickly as possible.

"The Fire Department is taking this proactive measure to provide initial treatment interventions to opiate-based drug overdoses before an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance arrives to further treat and transport the patient," said Deputy Chief Steven A. Manchino, the department's ambulance director.

Narcan is a so-called "opioid antagonist" that temporarily displaces the opioid receptor in the brain. In West Springfield, ALS responders have used the drug in 47 overdose cases, 35 of which involved heroin.

Since Massachusetts launched a Narcan pilot program in 2007, state health officials say the drug has successfully stopped more than 2,500 opioid overdoses. Overdosing on opiate-based drugs can lead to death if not recognized quickly and treated appropriately.